AMISOM mourns Ugandan killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has described the fallen Uganda Police commissioner, Christine Alalo, as an officer "who served diligently" during her tour of duty in the conflict-riddled Somalia.

"Commissioner Christine Alalo was a dedicated leader and officer of the law, who served the African Union Mission in Somalia, diligently and memorably.

The AMISOM family will miss her and we will continue to devote ourselves to the work she was a key part of," AMISOM officials said in a statement issued yesterday.

Alalo was aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, which crashed on Sunday morning, six minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport.

Alalo who joined Uganda Police Force in 2001 as a cadet, was working with AMISOM as a peacekeeper, in Somalia.

In a statement issued by Police, Alalo was described as a "highly respected member of the force who loved her job."

The African Union Special Representative, Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira, also sent condolences to Uganda, describing the late Alalo as a "committed" and "dedicated" peacekeeper from the time she started her tour of duty in 2015.

"The entire AMISOM family is with the people and Government of Uganda, with Emmanuel and Alvin, sons of our beloved CP, this moment of sorrow and despondency. May her soul rest in peace," Madeira said.